Naveen Patnaik rejected Ayushman Bharat scheme fearing defeat: Shah

BJP president Amit Shah on Monday slammed the BJD government in Odisha for rejecting the Centre's newly launched flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, saying Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik did so fearing defeat in the 2019 polls.

The BJD, however, rejected Shah's remark and said the state government's health assurance scheme, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, was "much better" than Ayushman Bharat.

The Ayushman Bharat programme would be implemented in Odisha if the BJP is voted to power in the state, Shah said at a meeting of the party's women's wing here.

"No one can stop the people of Odisha in availing the benefits of Ayushman Bharat. You cannot stop the BJP from helping the poor. We will implement the Ayushman Bharat programme on the first day if the BJP forms government in the state in the 2019 elections," he said.

Hitting out at Patnaik for rejecting the health insurance scheme, which was launched on Sunday, Shah said, "Naveen Babu is afraid that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity will grow further if the scheme is launched in the state. The chief minister is worried about his 'kursi' (chair) and not for the poor people of Odisha."
Claiming that farmers in Odisha do not get adequate MSP on paddy though the Centre has raised it by Rs 200 per quintal, Shah said, "There is an unholy nexus between the mill owners and the government for which the farmers suffer."